CAMP TAREER, Kuwait - Members of Third Army’s 343rd Medical Company and the 3rd Medical Deployment Sustainment Command, got together with their Kuwaiti allies for a medical information sharing mission, May 24-26.

There, members of Third Army’s medical team taught members of the Kuwaiti National Guard a certified course on Vehicle Evacuation, where the importance of safety was promoted in evacuating a patient after a vehicle accident, which is a major cause of injury in the Kingdom.

“After a vehicle accident, other injuries can occur while removing a patient from the vehicle if you aren’t careful,” said Staff Sgt. Matthew Stephens, medic, 343rd Medical Company. “Our goal is to teach the Kuwaitis how to use safety and speed when removing a patient into an ambulance before taking them to a higher level of medical treatment.”

The course took three days to complete and involved three stages.

The first day was the “crawl stage,” where the Kuwaitis were taught the basics of first aid involved in treating victims of vehicle accidents. The second day was the “walk stage,” where the Kuwaitis went through the proper routine to evacuate an injured patient. Then the final day was the “run stage,” where an all out live simulated drill involving the Kuwaitis removing injured U.S. Soldiers from vehicles took place, and with Third Army troops grading the Kuwaiti’s performance, followed by a graduation ceremony.

With the event a success and passing grades for all the Kuwaitis involved, Col. Mark McGuire, commander, 3rd Medical Deployment Sustainment Command, handed out the diplomas to the graduates, commented on the outing and expressed the importance it played for both militaries.

“Any time you get together with the host nation, it is a chance for each side to learn from each other and to build on an already close friendship,” said McGuire. “The Kuwaiti service members here today performed remarkably well for just three days of training with our guys.”

The Vehicle Evacuation Course is part of an ongoing information sharing relationship between Third Army Soldiers and their Kuwaiti counterparts, with the key focuses of learning from each other and building closer ties into the future.